The Men in Rachel's Life
by Unnoticeable Person
Summary: Rachel starts to reflect on her choices of men and how Al has to manage to get on that list.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own The Hollows or the characters. They all belong to the great Kim Harrison. I do not make any money from this in any way. This is for the sole purpose to fulfill my boredom.

Nick, Kisten, Marshal, and Pierce. All the men that came in my life like a tornado and then the next moment they're gone and left a hole in my heart.

Before all the lies Nick and I were great together. We watched action movies and jogged at the zoo. Then he freaked out about being my familiar and left me. We met again when he was in trouble with the stupid statue. After that little adventure I learned that he sold information about me to demons! And the worst part of it was that he hadn't even thought what he did was wrong! I was really glad to have him out of my life after that. Then he summoned me! Not only that but he put me and Trent against each other and we didn't even know it. He just dug himself deeper and deeper in his grave every time he crossed me. I'm even considering selling him to Al, the little cookie maker.

Kisten was really something. When I first met him in all his leather-clad glory I was scared to death of him. He appeared to be so intimidating and threatening. Then there was the elevator encounter. I thought I was about to die at the time and Kisten offered a veeeeeeeerrrrrry nice distraction. I thought that would be our first and last kiss. After I survived I met up with him again when Nick left me. He again offered me a distraction and I took it. It was a great date to. We may have risked our lives more than one time that night but I being me lived for the adrenaline rush and considered it the best date I've ever had. After that he took me on many more extravagant places, showing me the best time of my life. Then the unthinkable happened: he was made into a blood gift and died. And not just undead dead but died twice. That just about killed any light I had left in my life. If it wasn't for Ivy and Jenks I would probably been as dead as Kisten.

Then there was Marshal. Let's face it. He was my rebound guy. After Kisten's death I was a mess and Marshal literally showed up on my doorstep and made me feel better. We did safe things together like ice skating. Mom was right that he wouldn't last long. As Jenks would say he had a "White Knight Complex "and I'm not the damsel-in distress type. He eventually left saying basically, "I can't do this anymore." He didn't like me taking dangerous risks. He also couldn't deal with the fact that I didn't need protecting, especially from him.

That leaves Peirce. He was my fist irresponsible love. We first met when I was sixteen and I was trying to contact my dad. He showed to be a very strong witch with a dangerous tendency to take unnecessary risks that could've resulted in death. Oh yeah, you could see how I fell for him. I was a stupid teenager obsessed with danger and dangerous people. I guess cupid really shot me in the head with my taste in men. We met later on when my therapist came in and said there was a ghost living in the church. It turned out that the angel that was cracked was him all along. It figures that he was in the grave with the head cracked open. Maybe that was what was wrong with him when Al brought him back with my modified charm. _Something_ must have gone wrong for his speech impairment. I mean, come on. Al has lived longer than him and he can speak the modern languages. It was a happy day when Newt got tired of him one day and killed him. My only regret is that I wasn't there to see it. I bet his last words were "I opine I have done a mishap". I think everyone is happy he's gone. I even think the demons even had a "Pierce is Gone" party. Hopefully Al learned his lesson and let the dead stay dead this time.

All these men came and left in a heartbeat. They all left their share of good moments and scars. But there was one man that stuck with me through these past two years, or rather, demon. Yes, Al was there around the first time I met Nick. He was even there when I made Nick my familiar. He was always around when I had a problem. Sometimes he was the cause but we can't all be perfect. He was even there right after I got out of the elevator with Kisten. I remember him changing into Kisten and I shivered. Back then I blamed it on vamp pheromones. I know better now. Al was even there when Pierce showed up in my life again. He snatched him and said that he's no good for me and that he'll kill me one day. I didn't believe him and pursued Pierce anyway. Come to think of it I think I went after Pierce for the very reason someone told me that I shouldn't. As always Al was right. One time too many did Pierce leave me in the line of fire he created himself and got me injured. The stupid witch still couldn't control his magic and I ended up paying for it. Al sent him to Newt as a punishment, but really, I thought Al did intend for Pierce to be given his death sentence with her. Why else would he have done that? And you know what? I thank him for that. Pierce was alive once before and that's all you get, one chance. No refunds, no re-dos.

So I'm single again and will hopefully stay that way for a while. I really don't need any more people saying "this will get you killed". It gets really repetitive after a while. And they're wrong to; I am still alive after all. It's kind of ironic to how they all said that I'd get myself killed when actually they did, except Marshal. He was smart and got out before the shit hit the fan. It was Saturday and I was getting dressed for my lesson with Al. I got my jeans and my new t-shirt I made that says, "Trent Kalamack Does Not Own This" and went to the back of the church.

AN:

This is going to be another Ral story. This is the beginning, just a small taste of what is to come.


	2. Chapter 2

I, again own nothing. I am just a loyal fan doing fanfic for my enjoyment. Rachel, Al and the Hollows world belong to the almighty Kim Harrison. I get no money whatsoever.

I saw him standing there tapping his foot, waiting impatiently.

"Why are you in such a rush, Al? I thought you liked it here." I said just to needle him.

He's not the only one bothered by this arrangement. Hell, if I got my way I'd never go to the ever-after with him again. And every day that chance of happening seems to be less and less.

"Excuse me for wanting more time for you to learn more about magic so maybe one day you could make a curse without something going wrong and almost kill yourself," he said dryly.

"Maybe things wouldn't go wrong if I had a better teacher" I suggested.

He narrowed his eyes at me and said "There _is_ no better teacher itchy-witch. Anyone else would've killed you right now for being so impeccably difficult. I hear praises every day about how vigilant and tolerant I am to be able to stand you. Let's face it itchy-witch, you are high-maintenance. "

"Yeah, Al. You're making _such _the sacrifice to allow me to be in your very presence. I am honored to be privileged enough to even breath your air," I said sarcastically.

"You could also be honored with other privileges, ones much more enjoyable then just simply breathing my air" he said in a lechery tone.

I have no doubt what those "other" privileges would be with him. They would be something from my worst nightmares. _Or your best dreams?_ I shook myself of that thought immediately. What? Now that I'm single again I have to look at the only man I have in my life who's interested in me and single? And not just any man, a mean _Al, _a_ demon _for the love of the turn.

Breaking me of my thoughts Al said, "Alright Rachel, no more stalling, come along." He extended his hand to me, gloveless, waiting for me to take it. I didn't take it so he just went and grabbed my hand anyway, always the controlling bastard. I can picturing him watching TV always having the channel changer in his hand, never letting go for even a trifle bit of time and let control slip from his fingertips. Did demons even have TV? I smiled when I thought of Al in a weather forecast suit and a gold channel 7 pin on him. If the demons did have TV that's something I would like to see. I bet their "lottery" would be the one where whoever would win got the best familiar available. And their news would be who has the next party coming up. I bit my lip to contain my laugh. If they did have the news and I ever saw it I don't think I would ever be able to take the demons seriously ever again.

While I was distracted thinking about Demon TV, Al took the liberty of jumping us to his rooms. He was going about the room looking for supplies while I just stood there waiting. He came back with a spell pot the size of Dumbo the elephant's ears. I think you could smuggle about a trillion pixies in there. He dropped the pot by our feet, making no loud sound whatsoever. I decided a long time ago not to question the physics in the ever-after.

Al looked like he was about to say something, but paused and looked down to my chest. I was about to scream at him for being such an obvious pervert before he suddenly said, "That shirt doesn't quite fit you right. It states the obvious too much. He is your familiar after all. Of course he doesn't own you. How about this?" He snapped his fingers in an overly-dramatic jester and I saw a red coat of ever-after cover the top half of my body. I looked down to see what the hell he just did. The shirt now said "I Own Trent Kalamack" on it. My face flamed as I realized the words had a double meaning. If Trent ever saw this I think he would give up on me working for him and just kill me on the spot. Seeing my face Al let out a triumphed chuckle.

"AL!" I shouted at him.

I could see the twinkle in his eyes telling how amused he was at this. Well good. I'm glad someone's having a damn good laugh at my expense. Not.

"Oh, come now, itchy-witch, this is much more appropriate. Even you have to admit to that."

The hell I will.

"Come on Al," I tried to make my voice sound demanding but just ended up sounding like a whine.

"Oooooooooh, Rachel pa-lease say that again. You have no idea how that voice just made you sound." He said with a leer and a look in his eyes that could only be described as unadulterated lust. Damn me back to the turn. I did _not_ intend to sound like a playboy bunny just now. It's his own damn fault that his mind only occupies itself with vulgar thoughts. I had nothing to do with it. I just wanted him to change my shirt back.

Between my musings I see Al standing there, spell pot completely forgotten, staring at me with a smile on his face. Oh god. This could only bring disaster if Al is actually _smiling_, without a trace of menace might I add. I could only see just a bit of mischief hidden in them that I didn't necessarily hate, in fact, the turn take me I liked the look on him. It made him look like a little boy plotting his next scheme. Unfortunately, that scheme is involving me. I saw his face shift to determination.

I backed away a step. "Whoa, hold on there, Al. Don't do anything Newt would do." Then he took a step forward and when he reached me I closed my eyes, getting ready for the worse. Instead he just grabbed my chin and I opened my eyes. He was holding my chin in a soft but firm hold with his ungloved hand and he looked in my eyes. Goat-slitted to round green orbs. Then he leaned in closer, my heart beating like a jack-rabbit and he whispered, "Get the spell pot itchy-witch."

He let go and stepped back and I blinked. What the hell? He gave me a faint smile and turned to get to work.

"Come on, Rachel, dove. Lots of work to do to get through that thick skull of yours." I could hear a smile in his voice. The bastard was really enjoying making me confused and uncomfortable all in the span of, I looked at the clock, one hour past sundown. All that happened in just an hour? Hell, it felt like an eternity.

I shook my head to get rid of the thoughts I don't want to deal with and went along with the work he assigned me. The spells weren't really hard at all you just had to read it correctly and do the steps properly. I held up my newest accomplishment with pride, like a kid who just won first place in the science fair, and handed it to Al, waiting to see if I went from "caveman" to "amateur". I saw his goat-slitted eyes narrow, as if daring it to reveal something wrong with it. Finally, he gave it back to me with a grunt of approval. Though I hate to admit it I felt a smidge of satisfaction in that I could meet Al's standards.

We cleaned up in silence before Al spoke up.

"Feeling a bit peckish, itchy-witch?" he asked mildly.

I was about to protest when my stomach growled in answer for me. I blushed. Al chuckled and said "I guess that's answer enough. Let's see what we can cook up in here, shall we?" he asked as if he wasn't taking no for an answer.

I sighed.

"Fine" I said in defeat and we were jumped to the kitchen.

"What can you cook, itchy-witch?" he asked lightly.

I stared at him, shocked. "You want me to cook you dinner? I already do your damn curses. I'm drawing the line here." It's funny how I can do his curses without much of a fuss, but when it comes to dinner it's like he's asking me to commit murder.

He laughed with the promise of threat. "Oh Rachel I think you're forgetting who's the one that makes the lines," He said as if speaking to a child.

I didn't like being talked down to. I straitened my stance and looked him directly in his goat-slitted eyes and said, I think you're the one who forgot that I _did_ make a line. Or do you need a demonstration to remind you?"

He stared at me for a long moment and he raised his hand. I flinched for the incoming hit, but he just reached and touched my hair, stroking it gently.

He said very softly, "I could never forget what you are, Rachel, even if I tried."

He let go of my hair and started washing his hands in the sink. Okay someone has gotten into the brimstone again. What is up with Al? One minute he's the all-too-threatening-demon, and the next…hell, I don't even know what he acts like. All I know is that wasn't the carefree, British-accent having demon that I knew. That scared me more then I would care to admit. Better the demon you know then the one you don't, right? Maybe that was another part of Al, his softer, vulnerable side. I smacked my hand to my forehead to get some sense back. Right. Like Al even knows what soft and vulnerable is. We do need to eat something though. Don't get me wrong. His sandwiches are great, but there is a saying that says don't have too much of a good thing.

I turned to the sink to wash my own hands. I sighed and said, "Spaghetti". Al turned toward me and said, "Splendid! Capital! Couldn't have thought of a better choice myself." He rethought that and leered at me saying "Unless you're offering something that's not in my kitchen to satiate my hunger." He licked his lips in emphasis of said hunger. I shivered.

"No way in hell Al," I said but my voice quivered just a little at the end. Damn it.

He smiled knowingly and said, "Very well, if you need me just whine like you always do".

"I will never need you for anything" I said strongly.

He looked at me steadily and disappeared in a coat of ever-after, but I thought I heard him say something, just before he vanished, along the lines of, "That's what you think, itchy-witch."

I made the spaghetti and went to call Al that it's ready, when I bumped into a solid wall. I looked up and saw that it was actually Al.

He grabbed my arm to steady me. "Clumsy witch, if you don't watch where you're going you'll end up on your arse in no time."

He took the close contact as an excuse to lean closer and say, "Of course, I don't entirely mind that choice of position."

I snatched my arm away from his grasp and gave him a sharp look.

"How many times do I have to say no to you Al?" I asked exasperated and a little uneasy.

"Until you actually mean it." He said with utmost confidence.

I gave him no reply, because I know in some twisted way, deep, deep, _deep_, down, part of me is actually attracted to him and his stupid frock coat. I will in no way in hell ever, EVER admit it but I can't deny it's there.

Instead of confronting the situation and my feelings as I should I go the coward's way out and hand him a plate of spaghetti. He sat down at the dining table that appeared out of nowhere and took a bite. He moaned very inappropriately and, of course, I blushed as red as a fire hydrant.

He smiled telling me in all but words that he knew damn well that the moan sounded more than appreciation of the food. Bastard.

"Rachel, this is simply delectable, can you pass me the cheese?" I looked around and saw the cheese just a little out of my reach. I reached up to grab it but stopped as I saw Al looking at me very intently, hunger that wasn't for the food in his eyes. I looked to where he was looking at and saw that my shirt had risen up a little past my belly button, revealing all my stomach and backside. I made a blush the shade of my car and threw the damn spaghetti in his perverted demon face. I caught him by surprise so it hit him flat in the face. You could see the sauce slowly drag down in drops, looking like blood. The noodles were all tangled up in his hair. I never saw the demon look so unkempt and imperfect. It made him seem more human somehow. His face flamed and he seemed accentually pissed. But then the most unthinkable thing happened. Instead of beating me to a pulp he

threw

the

spaghetti

at

my

face.

It could've been in slow motion. We both kind of froze there for a moment, not yet ready to comprehend what the hell just happened. I was the one to break the silence with my laugh. Big, ugly, whole hearty laughs. And I couldn't stop, not even when tears came to my eyes. But then something hit me on the chest. My laughing stopped as I see a smirking Al at the other side of the table.

He said holding a small ball of spaghetti in his hand, "The spaghetti really resembles your hair, all tangled and red. You can't tell apart the spaghetti on your head from your real hair."

I smiled and remarked, "oh yeah? I think the spaghetti is like you more, all twisted and bad for your health."

He smiled and showed his big, blocky teeth. "Then let's see itchy-witch" he said as he threw the spaghetti ball in his hand like a snow ball. Somehow, it seemed like hours later, we got to the point where we were crouched under the table, covered in spaghetti and sauce. We were both breathing heavily from our spaghetti war. I noticed something then. A small trail of sauce was going from Al's bottom lip to his chin.

I stared at it a moment, mesmerized, and until I could really register what I was doing I lick it. From his chin and up to his bottom lip. He stiffened at first and then relaxed and shivered. He curved his hand around my waist and when I finally realized what I was doing I sprang up like a jack-in-the-box and stood on the opposite side of the room before he even blinked. For a second I was tempted to laugh, seeing his face look like someone just took away his favorite toy…..actually, that was a pretty accurate analogy.

I felt a small tingle in my gut and I didn't resist. I didn't even care that someone was summoning me. I needed to be away from Al. Right. Now.

Before I knew it I was at my church. Damn, Ivy sure had great timing.

Jenks came hovering close and screamed in my ear, "Rache, are you alright?"

I nodded tiredly.

Then Ivy came out and exhaled, thankful I'm in one piece, I guess.

"You were supposed to get back thirty minutes ago," she told me like chastening a child.

"Sorry Ivy, we, um, lost track of time." I said lamely. Crap on toast, I feel like a teenager being questioned about her whereabouts last night. I was almost expecting them to say, "You were with that boy, weren't you?" to finish the whole cliché.

She raised an eyebrow, asking for an explanation, when suddenly she laughs at something Jenks told her, pointing at me. I look questionably at them and waiting to get the joke when Jenks shouted, "You're shirt Rache!"

I looked down and groaned.

Al must have replaced my cloths before I left the ever-after, everything was crystal clean. But that wasn't what was funny.

On my t-shirt read: "Al Owns This" in big red letters.

AN: Man, this was a really fun chapter to write. Hope you liked it!


	3. Chapter 3

As I said before the characters and Hollows world belong to Kim Harrison.

It has been about a month since the spaghetti incident. And being the evasive person I am, I never confronted him about it. We had a don't-ask-don't-tell thing going on. We still played teacher and student, but sometimes it got awkward.

I remember this one time I was trying to do the curse he assigned me, and I didn't do the jester right. Al actually took his hand in mine, body eerily close, and showed me the motion. That was the lesson about two weeks ago. The tension around us is getting more and more noticeable each week. I don't even want to think about what will happen this week. I know our delicate balance with each other won't last much longer, but I want to keep it as long as I possibly can.

After Al gave me the shirt that said, "Al Owns This" I have made myself Kinko's number one customer. Now every week I come up with a new shirt to show him, and every week he retaliated with one of his own. I call it, "Battle of the Shirts". It may be childish, but it is an amusing game. So far in the last month I had shirts that said, "This Can kick Al's Ass", "I Need Al Repellent", and "You Will Never Know My Favorite Cake". Then Al changed them to, "This Can Tap Al's Ass", "Al's Scent Is My Favorite Aphrodisiac", and "Al Can Taste My Cake Anytime". All of them left me flaming with embarrassment. Really, does the demon have any boundaries? Yeah, stupid question, of course not.

My next lesson was in about ten minutes. I looked in my closet and found the newest to my collection.

It read: "DANGER: May Cause Harm to Anything with a British Accent When Pissed".

It was great, perfect for my infuriating demon. I froze when I realized I called him _my_ demon. That's not good. Before I could think anymore about it I see the demon standing in my backyard. I looked at my clock. Already that time again. But I notice that I don't dread it as much anymore, I thought, startled at my new realization. I don't think that's a good thing either.

I came out with my bag in hand; ready to go on with my somehow weekly routine in the ever-after.

I smiled a lazy grin and asked mock sweetly, "How are you today my dear pain-in-ass?"

He smiled his usual toothy grin and said, "Pleased as punch, itchy-witch." Then his face shifted into a leer and said, "Of course you could always make my day even better, Rachel." I just shook my head as his endless innuendos and told him flatly, "Read the shirt Al before you say anything else. He stepped back and his lips twitched up in amusement.

"How about this then?" He said in a French accent.

"Then I would have to make another shirt about a French accent. How about trying not to get me pissed today, Al?"

He actually had the nerve to roll his goat-slitted eyes.

He returned to his normal British accent and said, "Oh Rachel, even I can't achieve the impossible."

I was about to say something back to that when he interrupted with, "Now as fun as our little chat has been, we have to get to work now," and he snapped his fingers and we appeared in the workroom.

He gave me a very short list of curses and I looked up at him questionably.

He met my gaze and said in a slightly confused tone, "No one has requested much of anything today, haven't the foggiest idea why."

Nevertheless, we worked on the spells we did have to make. I was actually starting to get the hang of doing curses and ley-line magic, and I get the feeling that isn't a great sign. Hell, the ever-after is even starting to smell normal to me. If I ever start growing horns and a tail that's when I know for sure that I've been in the ever-after way too long.

After we did the spells I was dead tired. Luckily the spells weren't that hard, but I didn't get much sleep the night before.

I said suddenly, "Hey Al, can I sleep in your library?"

He looked at me a moment then said, "Just don't get any drool on my books or you'll end up in the same condition as the runt."

"I wouldn't call being dead a condition, more like a permanent rest." I pointed out.

"Itchy-witch, do you need a dictionary?" He asked as a dictionary popped out of nowhere.

He opened the dictionary and put on glasses. Like he actually needed the glasses to read, Al is always one for the dramatics.

He then let out I triumphed, "Aha!" and pointed to a line reciting, "Condition: A general state or mode of existence."

I knew he was doing all this just for the hell of it so I played along.

I frowned and informed him, "being dead isn't a general state or mode of existence, it's no existence, gone."

"Ah, ah, ah, itchy- witch, 'mode of existence' could be categorized as being dead, it is a mode of something after all."

I rolled my eyes at his show of "extensive knowledge".

I said tiredly to him, "Just send me to your damn library Al, I really didn't need a vocabulary lesson."

He said a bit childishly, "You are the one who initiated it by questioning my use of the word 'condition'." I actually think he wanted to fight with me, get me riled up, for no apparent reason but to amuse him.

I sighed. I was so damn tired and didn't want to get into another petty argument with him so I just stood there quietly, waiting.

He shook his head and said, "I know you want to go to sleep so you can dream about me, so don't let me stop you" and I was in the library. I turned around and saw that Al was there to.

"What the hell Al? I can't sleep with you right here."

That was a lie, I could practically go to sleep while standing because I'm so damn tired, but I didn't want Al to be in the room when I was in my most vulnerable state. I usually sleep when he's on errands, but I am so out of it I can't wait for that to happen today.

He leered at me and said, "You could sleep with me anywhere, Rachel."

The bastard can twist my words into just about anything, an annoying talent, that.

"Funny, Al. Can I please get some sleep so I will have enough energy to deal with you?" I snapped, getting slightly irritated that he wouldn't let me rest.

"As the Lady Demon wishes," he said elegantly and bowed.

And before I could say something about the "Lady Demon" comment, he vanished, leaving me with the faint smell of burnt amber.

I put my head on a near-by table and drifted off.

I woke up to the feel of Al shaking me on my shoulders with him saying in his up-tight English accent, "Wake your cotton-fluffed head up, itchy-witch. Things have changed in plans."

I sprang up like a pixie hipped up on honey when he said 'changed in plans'.

The first thing I come face-to-face with is two red, goat-slitted eyes.

I rubbed my eyes and asked groggily, "What, Al?"

He was still holding onto my shoulders and I wasn't aware enough to shake them off.

He finally let go and stated, "There has been some rare occasion I have to attend and you get the opportunity to go home early."

I looked at him for more information. He stayed unusually quiet. That's not like him at all; normally I can't get him to shut up.

"Wow, way to be vague Al", I said just to see if he'll mention anything else on this "rare occasion".

He smiled showing his big, blocky teeth and said, "Aw, you want to know what I'm doing when I don't grace you with my presence? And I was beginning to think you didn't care."

I shrugged saying, "Don't flatter yourself, I just want to know if it's something really horrible you're going to do," I paused then added, "besides the usual of course."

"And I say that it's none of your bloody concern." He shot back with.

Just about when I was about to answer him with another comment, he sneezed. I smiled. He looked kind of cute, with his nose scrunched up and hair flying in his face. I mentally slapped myself._ No Rachel that is one place that you don't EVER want to go._

Al's scrying mirror appeared out of nowhere and he placed his hand on it.

"I said I will be attending, old man, what do you want?" Al asked in an annoyed tone. Since he called the person on the line "old man" I'm assuming it was Dali. Maybe I'll get some answers after all. I listened intently. Hey, I'm not above a little eavesdropping, especially if it's something so big as to get Al to send me home early.

Al nodded his head at something Dali said saying "Yes". Then he looked at me and said, "Yes, she's here." Well that can't be good. Then he looked back at the mirror and his eyes widened to something Dali just said. Damn it back to the turn, one-sided conversations suck.

"You can't be serious," Al said in an incredulous tone.

"I guess she can play, but is that the right thing to do, Newt will be there, after all." Al said, and if I didn't know any better, in a concerned tone.

They were obviously talking about me but I found it odd that Al even was capable of saying the words "is that the right thing to do". I think that was his first time saying those words ever.

Al sighed and said, "Fine, but I won't make any promises that nothing will go wrong." Then he hung up and turned to me, face evaluating.

He said suddenly, "Do you have any talent in baseball, itchy-witch?"

My faced lost all expression. Baseball? What the hell?

AN: There you go! This chapter didn't really reveal much but I hope you will look forward to the Demon Baseball game! That is going to be fun to write.


	4. Chapter 4

Again, own nothing, belongs solely to Kim Harrison.

I sat there in a daze, wondering if maybe I didn't completely wake up. I even pinched myself for good measure. Nope, this is actually happening.

I looked at Al for more information, surely he's kidding. I mean really, demon and baseball? I practically looked around the room for a camera and a banner saying, "You Just Got Punked!" Hearing nothing but silence from Al I decided to ask him directly for a change.

"Why did you ask me if I had a talent in baseball Al?" I asked in a nonchalant tone, hiding my growing curiosity.

"Because I obviously wanted to know the answer to it, itchy-witch," he drawled.

I wanted to hit him for being such a smartass.

"You know what I mean," I snapped.

"What did Dali tell you?" I asked instead.

Al took a seat that appeared seemingly out of nowhere and sighed, looking ready to explain something to the ignorant witch, AKA, me, yet again.

"On your side of the lines I expect that certain companies have annual events every once in a while," he started to explain.

I thought of the FIB's annual picnic. I nodded my head at him to continue.

"It is the same concept here, but as you have observed personally", he gave me wry smile and continued, "Demons have a more competitive nature."

Well that's an understatement. I don't know how many demons have competed to get me as their possession. They live forever and yet all they ever do is make power plays and saying, "This is mine and you can't have it." It's like dealing with five-year-olds.

I made a motion for him to continue.

"We demons have jobs," I made a face just to tell him how I felt about those "jobs".

He ignored it and continued anyway, "And every hundred years or so we have a little game against the other demon company to see who's better at something besides just selling familiars."

"Wait, there's another demon company that sells familiars?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes, there is. Although we employees can have free reign all over the world there are still two demons that are in charge of the northern part of the world and the southern part. Dali controls the Northern part."

I tried to process this information. Another demon is as strong and collected as Dali? Shit.

"And that game changes every hundred years. Last century was basketball. This year is baseball. Dali called this afternoon saying that the game will be tonight and that he wanted you to join." He finished and looked at me expectantly.

I just tried my hardest to keep from bursting out laughing at the image of demons playing baseball for fun. I couldn't see it. It's like leprechauns having fool's gold. It's impossible to even imagine it.

"So, what? You want me to be your cheerleader?" I asked, wishing I could do the one eyebrow trick.

He gave me a huge smile and said, "Oh, now wouldn't that be delightful."

He licked his lips and snapped his fingers and suddenly I was in a cheerleader uniform.

I had on a red shirt made of silk that was cut down from the neck very low, a very short black skirt, and, the turn take me, horns on my head, and I also had on a red, spiky tail. I looked at my shirt and saw that it said, "Team Al" on it. And to make it worse, I blushed to make the whole ensemble go together perfectly. I looked like a freaking' demon blow-up doll.

I looked at Al to see that his face was a mixture of amusement and lust. Only he could've made the two different emotions fit on his face at the same time.

"Al" I growled warningly.

"Yes, Rachel?" He asked a bit distractively. I don't even want to know what's going on in his sick little demon head, probably some sinister reverie about me cheering him on after the game.

I shivered, not completely repulsed at the idea. Crap on toast, something's wrong with me.

"Take this off me," I said, irritated.

I swear his eyes lit up like supernovas and he said huskily, "I thought you'd never ask itchy-witch."

My eyes widened at his intention and without thinking I jumped at him, yelling "No!"

We both went down, me on top of him. We both froze. Then Al said, "My, my you're such in a hurry itchy-witch." I couldn't move. My head kept screaming "Get your witch butt up!" but my legs wouldn't listen. Then without any warning, he kissed me. I gasped and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue in. Then my senses started working again and I jumped up like a frightened kitten. I was cowering in the corner breathing heavily. He looked like he was about to come at me then and there when, thank the turn, his line ringed. He made a disapproving face and picked up with an irritating, "What?"

He looked at me regrettably and said, "We're coming, old man."

He hung up and looked at me, face unreadable.

I didn't know what the hell to say so I said shakily, "Ready to go?"

He nodded and he jumped us to a field shaped like a pentagram. Well, these are demons after all. It still had the three bases and home plate though.

"Why's the field shaped like a pentagram?" I asked Al.

"You see, itchy-witch, our nature in games is…aggressive, you could say, so some of us used to die at the end of the games, sore losers and all. Since five thousand years ago, when the birth rates were so low, however, they created a pentagram on every court we play in. it prevents anyone from killing each other", he explained in his school-teacher tone.

It figures that demons need something like that to keep them in check. To them, losing is worse than death.

He clapped his hands and said, "As delicious as that other outfit was you will be in this uniform."

Before I could protest I was already in a black and red uniform. I looked at my shirt and it read: Blood-Soaked Sox. I looked at Al and he had the same uniform on.

"What the hell Al?" I said hysterically. He really likes dressing me too much.

"You really didn't think you were going to be on the sidelines did you? Dali said you have to play, like it or not."

"But I'm not a demon!" I practically screamed.

He rolled his eyes and said, "So you keep saying."

I looked at the stands to see familiars; I guess they aren't privileged enough to play. Lucky them.

"What's the other team's name?" I asked curiously.

He smiled and said, "The Demonbacks, itchy-witch."

I looked at him and said sarcastically, "You demons are really original when it comes to names of teams."

I know demons steal everything they can, but come on. The Demonbacks? The Blood-Soaked Sox? I will never view baseball the same way again.

"Come along, itchy-witch, Dali's waiting," he said impatiently.

I tried to remember my days in high school. I was a track star but I was pretty good at all the other sports I tried, including baseball.

"Ah, Rachel, I should warn you that we play a little differently on this side of the lines."

Why am I not surprised?

"Yeah, I bet you guys cheat like a car salesman."

He shook his head, "Actually, there is no cheating, everything's fair game, that is, if no one sees it."

Swell.

"And the ball we play with is ever-after."

I just looked at him.

He clarified, "You build up line energy in your hand and throw it."

Recognition dawned on me. Just like how I blew up that building in the ever-after and flung Ivy away.

"How the hell do I hit that?"

"You make a bat out of ever-after so you could hit the ball made of ever-after. You fight fire with fire, itchy-witch."

"How do you make a bat?" I asked.

He sighed, exasperated at my lack of knowledge.

"You already know how to put ever-after in your hands, just visualize it as a stick shape, not a round sphere."

That seems easy enough.

We arrived at the dugout and saw that Dali was our coach, complete with a silver whistle around his neck. Al isn't the only one who likes to be dramatic.

Then I saw something that made my blood freeze. The umpire was-

"NEWT!" I screeched.

Al put a hand over my mouth before anyone could've heard me.

"The only one suitable enough to be the umpire is the craziest demon in the ever-after?" I asked into his hand.

"She is the only one demons won't cross or question when she makes calls, or they will forfeit their life."

I yanked his hand away and nodded in understanding. It did make sense; the demons would kill any other umpire then Newt. Newt has the power to keep them in line, but does she have enough sanity to make good calls? That is the real question.

Dali came up and greeted us.

"I'm glad you could make it here, Rachel, Al."

Like we had a choice.

"We are in the outfield first, so be ready to win." He said pleasantly enough.

But I saw through it, he may have sounded easy-going but you could see the look in his eyes that said "We better win or else." Yeah, demons really had a superiority complex.

I looked at Al and said, "Where do you want me?"

He licked his lips and I swear his eyes glowed.

"In the shower, on the floor, in my room tied to my bed-"

I cut him off there, my head spinning and face matching the color of my hair.

"You perverted son of a bitch, I mean what position am I in?"

Then he had that face that promised anything but innocent and I covered his mouth with my hand before he could say anything else I didn't want to hear. Could his head be out of the gutter for one simple conversation?

"If you don't tell me anything useful then maybe I'll just go ask Dali. Maybe his head can stay out of the sewer for one sentence."

In response Al did something I really didn't expect.

He

licked

my

hand.

And it wasn't the little kid's lick to say 'get your hand off my mouth' either. It was more like a 'imagine what other places I could lick with my tongue' lick. Despite the disgusting factor that I should of thought I shivered, and not from repulsion either.

What in the turn is happening to me?

I released my hand and wiped it on the uniform.

Al looked at me, eyes full of hunger.

"Shouldn't you be more focused on the game Al?" I asked trying to change the subject.

His eyes twinkled with amusement and said, "Why, itchy-witch I've always been focused on our little game."

Something tells me he wasn't talking about baseball.

Before I could reply Dali came up and put a glove in my hand and said, "You will be the catcher, Rachel." He then turned to Al and said, "And you will be the pitcher as usual."

Dali left and Al leaned closer to whisper, "He probably knows you're good with receiving balls, to make you the catcher."

Of course he had to put in one final lewd comment before the game.

Despite that I'll probably regret it I asked him anyway, "Why did he put you as pitcher?"

He smiled his with his big blocky teeth and said," I'm the best one at handling balls."

I shook my head and sighed. I guess _that_ was his final lewd comment before the game, well let's hope so.

We took our positions and Al said, "Good luck, itchy-witch."

I smiled. Yeah, I'll probably need all the help I can get.

A demon stepped up to bat; his body looked like a professional baseball player. He probably used a spell to get an advantage. And I thought using steroids wasn't fair in sports.

Al was in a pitching stance. He threw the ball of ever-after and it…disappeared? Then I felt something in my glove. I looked and saw it was the ball. I looked at Al, dumbfounded. He smiled and said, "Remember Rachel, you have to give my ball back." I'm glad the catcher's mask shielded my face. I did not need other demons to see me blush. I began to throw the ball, but when I touched it my body let out an involuntary shiver. I looked at Al and saw that he knew my reaction to his aura by the look in his eyes. I threw the ball at him, hard. So what if his aura felt good? It doesn't mean anything, right?

I figured out his little trick. He made the ball invisible. If he made it simply disappear it would have been too obvious, what with the ever-after smoke it would leave behind. You could cheat but not show off. That's such a demon rule.

The demons didn't get a single hit off of Al, now it was our turn up.

A familiar read an announcement that said, "First one up to bat, #1, Algaliarept. On deck is #1/2, Rachel Morgan."

It really figures Al chose to be number one. Wait a minute, I'm number half? What the hell?

I looked at Al for an explanation I probably won't like.

He shrugged and said, "You're half demon itchy-witch."

I wanted to kill him in that moment.

Al strode up to the plate like he owned it. He made a big show of taking a practice swing and tapping the plate with his ever-after bat.

He finally was ready and, he actually materialized a blindfold around his head. Cocky bastard. What's he going to do now that he can't see?

He smiled like he knew exactly what I was thinking and took a swing. The thing flew. It was out of reach of the pentagram. A freaking home run. It really figures that he'd be the first one up, get an awesome hit, and make the rest of us look like crap. That is so Al. He didn't even run. In fact, he materialized a crown on his head and red robes. He even got a damn staff to complete the king look. He walked elegantly all around first, second, third, and finally home plate. The Demonbacks looked positively pissed off. I didn't blame them. On the first pitch they got completely humiliated by Al. The score was: us 1, them 0.

He was back in the dugout in his regular uniform. He winked at me and said, "I can score on and off the field, Rachel."

I just rolled my eyes and approached the plate. I brought energy into my hands and visualized a bat. It worked. The pitcher began to wind up and threw the ball. The ball kept spinning and spinning and I found myself looking at a tornado of ever-after. I swung and missed.

Newt screamed, "STRIKE!"

I looked at her and wanted to say, "No shit", but I kept my mouth closed. I valued my life more than a sarcastic comment, I think.

I heard people in the dugout saying, "I hope she scores better in bed then she does on the field or else I feel sorry for Al."

I ground my teeth together and tried again.

I swung and missed again. Damn it. It'd be better if this was a regular game. Before I could take another swing Al called a time-out. Could he do that? I looked at Dali and saw that he couldn't but was doing it anyway, that's Al for you.

Al came up to me and whispered, "Come now, itchy-witch, I know you can do better than this."

I looked at him irritated and whispered back, "It's kind of hard when I see balls are coming at me in tornados."

Al huffed. "Then don't see them, use your second sight."

My eyes widened in realization. He used the blindfold to hide that he was using his second sight. I should have expected nothing less of Al.

I smiled evilly. Time for payback. Seeing my smile, Al nodded approvingly. I looked at him and said, "Thanks, Al."

"You can thank me when we are alone in my rooms later."

I shook my head. He is relentless.

"In your dreams Al."

He turned and walked back to the dugout but I thought I heard him say, "For now."

I tucked my red helmet lower to hide my eyes and took up my batting stance.

I closed my eyes and I saw everything, no wonder Al got a home run. This time when the ball came I was ready. I wasn't going to get a home run, that would make the demons even more pissed, but I had something else in mind. I even said a spell for a little redirection and hit the ball of ever-after right between the pitcher's legs. He went down screaming like a banshee.

I didn't hesitate. I ran. Running is my specialty and it showed in that moment. A cheetah couldn't have caught me. The demon at short stop went after the ball when I was rounding second base. The pitcher was still on the ground whimpering. It almost made me feel sorry for him. Yeah, right. Before I could stop myself, I was running home. To hell with not pissing off the other demons. When has that ever stopped me before? The demon playing short stop threw the ball to the catcher right when I slid home. He touched me in a very inappropriate place above the belt. I didn't care. I was as safe as condoms. We got another run, because of me. I smiled, until I realized I was still lying there with the demon's hand still on my chest. I was about to remove it when Al intervened. He lifted the demon up, malice in his eyes and said, "Keep your hand off things that aren't yours."

I'm glad he didn't phrase it, "Keep your hand off things that are mine." That really would've gotten me pissed off.

The demon nodded up and down, fear clear in his eyes.

Dali came over and said, "That's enough, Al. Let's continue with the game."

Al dropped the demon and turned to me and leered. "I didn't know you could hit so eloquently hard, Rachel, I find that I quite like it."

I hit him on the arm.

"Better watch it or you'll find out how much, just like the other pitcher did." I warned him.

Al looked at the other pitcher and gulped audibly. Probably thinking that he was lucky that wasn't him.

The other pitcher looked at me with ice cold eyes. He looked like he wanted to kill me. Well that's not good.

Nevertheless I stuck my tongue out at him and gave a vampire kiss-kiss gesture.

His eyes were practically on fire with hatred burning in the center.

I never was good at making new friends.

In the first inning we got three runs, me, Al, and some other demon.

The rest up to the ninth inning were kind of slow.

The ninth inning is where the intense moments were. In the ninth inning the score was five-to-five. We were the last ones up and it was two outs. In this epic showdown of course Al was up. Al hit the ball to third base. He rounded all the way to second. I was the next one up with two outs and a man on second. The demons looked at me with eyes that said, 'screw this up and you'll never be seen on the other side of the lines again'. Peer pressure. I was never too fond of it in high school and I'm not appreciating it now. I looked at Al and saw that he was actually _smiling_. If I didn't know any better I would've thought that he set this up. But he didn't, right? I swallowed and tried to bring up the courage to do this. It's just a game, after all.

I closed my eyes again and when I was about to swing, the ball of ever-after hit me in the head, but not before the ball hit the bat, the hit still counted. I fell to the ground, pretending to be unconscious. I twitch my hand to let Al know I'm conscious. I hear Al start to run to third base. While the demons are distracted with Al I start running to first base. They didn't tag me or the base so all of this still counts. When Al was safely on third, the third basemen threw the ball to first, but I already made it there before the first basemen tagged first base. I was safe. Al took advantage of the Demonbacks's attention on me and decided to go straight to home. It was going to be close. The first basemen threw the ball to the catcher and the catcher had the ball, bracing for Al. Al had to knock the ball out of the catcher's mitt to be safe. Al collided with the catcher like an elephant stampede. The ball came out of the catcher's mitt and hit the ground. We won.

Al dusted himself off and stood like the proud demon he is. Of course we had to win in the most dramatic way. That was Al's style. He made himself the hero of the game. He basically said, 'you couldn't have won without me'. Arrogant bastard.

Dali patted Al on the back and said, "Good job as always Al."

"Would you expect any less?" Al replied.

The announcer declared, "Blood-Soaked Sox win!"

The Demonbacks looked like they were about to slaughter a village. The coach on that team said, "There will be ten times the amount of paperwork you usually get for the next 50 years!"

Ouch. That has got to suck.

Al grabbed me and pulled me into his rooms saying, "Let's celebrate, itchy-witch."

I look around and see that there is a large banner saying, "I Won Like Always" on the wall. I also noticed we were back in our normal cloths.

I rolled my eyes, conceited bastard.

He sat down on an overly-stuffed chair.

"Weren't you impressed with my skills on the field?" he asked.

"Sorry Al, jocks aren't my type. Especially those who plan the whole thing to make themselves look like some baseball god."

"Ah, you caught me, but you have to admit, it was executed perfectly."

Even though it was a perfect ending play I just shook my head at him.

I could see he saw through me though if the big smile on his face was any indication.

He patted his lap saying, "Celebrate with me, Rachel."

"Hell. No." I said firmly.

He got up and gave me a glass of champagne.

"Come on itchy-witch, at least a sip."

He's worst then the devil and the forbidden fruit. What the hell, we did win. I need to celebrate and I also need it to deal with him.

I accepted it with a large gulp. It tasted very sweet.

Like reading my thoughts Al said, "Victory is sweet, it's only natural the champagne mirrors that fact."

A couch appeared and Al led me to it. It was so comfortable. Better then a tempur-pedic mattress. I felt so relaxed. Al was next to me and everything was going in slow motion. Suddenly Al leaned toward me and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back with no restraint. His fingers started to go under my shirt and I felt a familiar tingle. I pulled back and started sneezing. Al let out a curse and, "One of these days I am going to kill that annoying pixy and vamp. He leaned in close and gave me a parting kiss.

He licked his lips. "The game was enjoyable, Rachel. You can play again anytime you want. I will always look forward to any time you win."

He looked me up and down, "For many reasons."

That was the last thing I heard from him when the next sight I see is my church and a worried looking pixy and vamp.

"You were late again," Ivy said, trying to mask her worry and failing.

"Tink's dildo Rache! This is the second time we had to pull you out! What were you doing? Now that I was sobered up I wondered the same thing. If Ivy and Jenks didn't pull me out, what would have happened? I shook my head at that thought. I don't want to go there.

I shrugged and said, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Which was true, I doubt that they would believe me that demons play baseball. Hell, I still couldn't believe it and I was there.

Ivy shook her head and said, "Whatever you did I hope it was worth it."

I looked at her, confused.

Jenks laughed. "You gotta pay more attention to your wardrobe Rache."

I immediately looked at my shit, scared of what I would find.

It read: Victory Tastes Sweet But Al Tastes Sweeter"

I groaned. I am going to kill that demon if it's the last thing I do.

Whew! I was reading these books called Eve of Darkness, Eve of Destruction, and Eve of Chaos by S.J. Day. I'm so pissed there isn't going to be another one and there was a huge cliff-hanger at the end! So I was kind of distracted. Thanks for reading. I hoped you liked it and I hope the explanations in the baseball plays were okay. Al keeps getting so close and then Rachel gets ripped away from his grasp. Poor Al! Please leave reviews and tell me what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

Please do not sue! I own nothing! The Hollow's world, story, and characters all belong to Kim Harrison. "Live Free or Die Hard" belongs to 20Th Century Fox  
Cheyenne Enterprises  
Dune Entertainment  
Ingenious Film Partners

If it wasn't clear before:** I Own Nothing!**

Ivy and Jenks are getting extremely suspicious about Al and me, and frankly, they have a right to be concerned. My previous encounters with the arrogant demon have taken a turn in the direction of dangerous territory. And I thought I was in a bad situation before. How the hell do I get myself into these situations? Anyone else wouldn't have kissed a damn demon. No one else would have felt a smidge of attraction for such an alarming presence. "Find a nice witch to settle down with and give me a lot of grandchildren" my mom would say. I wonder what she would say to my newest focus of attention. Hell she's so nuts she would probably just be glad that someone will give her grandkids. She doesn't even know that any kids from me will be demons and I would like to keep it that way. It would completely destroy any hope she had for me disappear.

I sighed and wondered how the hell I'm going to survive my next lesson with him. I can see that every week that passes he is getting bolder. After the baseball game a couple weeks ago he is now constantly trying to get close to me. It really becomes suffocating. It's nothing really obvious like towering over me every minute. It's more like when I'm not looking; I feel eyes on me, like a predator watching its prey.

I don't even know why I'm even responding to him so strongly. When we first met he was trying to kill me. I paused and thought about that. Come to think of it, all the people I felt something for have tried to kill me or put me in some kind of danger. Nick, as a rat he was fighting against me for his life. Kisten put a bomb on Lee's boat with me locked inside. Marshal took me to the shores of the Were's island. Pierce got me into too much crap I can't even list them all. And Trent-

What the hell did I mention Trent for?

I put my head to my forehead and tried to collect my wild thoughts. I so don't need this complication in my already scattered life. Trent is gorgeous beyond ordinary eyes but for the love of the Turn! He's a damn murderer!

_Al is also a murderer. Probably killed more people then Trent to and for worse reasons then to help his race._ Great, just what I need, an argument with myself.

I really can't believe I am even thinking these thoughts. Jenks would probably have kicked me in the head if I ever voiced them. Why can't I be with a nice, dependable guy that I am comfortable to be around? Like Ivy and Glen. I hear from Jenks that they really hit it off. Yes, the vampire and human love story. Like _that_ hasn't been done before.

That's it. I am not going to focus any more on these things. I will undoubtedly go insane if I do anyway.

Jenks is with Ivy on a run. I couldn't go because this one needed to be done discreetly and they said I would cause too much commotion. I think they were just getting me back for being with Al, like I could help it. It's not like I could get out of my deal. When you make a deal with a demon you're in worse debt then with the mafia.

I was going to make brownies, double chocolate, and make real frosting. I put the brownies in the oven and stirred the white powder in my bowl. These are going to be the best damn brownies I have ever made. This is Rachel time and I am going to use it to its fullest. After I made the frosting the brownies were almost done. I put popcorn in the microwave. I grabbed a soft quilt from my room and spread it on the couch. The quilt was a deep purple and it was as soft as a cloud.

I heard the microwave beep and saw that the brownies were done. The kitchen smelled like something from a See's Candy store. I really outdid myself this time. I set the brownies on a plate and the popcorn in a red tub-sized bowl. Now I was ready to watch one of my favorite action movies.

"Mmm, it smells ravishing in here, itchy-witch. " I heard an English accent say from the front of the kitchen.

I stiffened. It can't be. No way in hell is he here right now. I need this time to _stop_ thinking about him. Not have more contact. This is swell, just swell.

"What the hell do you want Al?" I snapped. Probably not the best idea, but he should be used to that by now.

"Can't a teacher visit his student? I was just curious as to if you were still alive or not. It's always something with you and you have been out of trouble for about two weeks. I thought you were due to get into some danger about now."

He acted like I was drug addict getting her needed fix of danger. Aren't I always in danger whenever he's around anyways?

"Nope. Alive and well as you can see." I pointed to the doorway. "Sorry to disappoint you. Now get the hell out of my kitchen."

He didn't even flinch at my demands. In fact, he just came closer until he stood right in front of my frosted-covered finger. He grabbed it and, so help me, put the whole finger in his mouth and started sucking on it. I stood there frozen and closed my eyes. When I realized he stopped I opened my eyes and saw that triumphed smirk on his demonic face.

Smooth, Rachel. Let him think he got to you. That will make the situation even better.

"Vampires aren't the only ones who like to suck, remember that Rachel."

He took the plate of brownies from the counter and went to the back room that is not on holy ground for our undead clients. He sat down on the couch and pulled the quilt I had laid out over him like he belonged there.

I stared at him, dumbfounded.

He bit down on one of the brownies I made and moaned. Great, I didn't know that demons got off on food. Chocolate was probably like their aphrodisiac. I'm making excellent choices tonight.

"Rachel, these are simply delicious, you have terribly _talented hands_ to have made this."

I blushed when he emphasized 'talented hands'. Mind always in the gutter, he never changes. I wonder if he was like that 5,000 years ago.

I smiled despite myself.

I bet when he was a teenager he was a player, the demon girls gathering around him as if he were a shepherd collecting his cattle. On the other hand, I could see him as a nerd to, always having his nose buried in a book, having an undeniable need to know everything.

Seeing my smile Al decided to say, "Oh, you don't have to daydream about me completely without clothing. I am here at your disposal, always ready."

I blushed again, damn him. You'd think I would be used to this by now.

"Not on your life Al." I replied irritably.

Seeing that he wasn't going to leave anytime soon I decided to put the movie in and hope that everything will be okay. Riiiiiiight, that always works.

Thank god Ivy is never cheap when buying things. This 50 inch plasma screen is proof of that.

I got my popcorn and sat on the farthest part of the couch away from Al. If I went on the chair next to the couch he would know that I am uncomfortable around him. No need to further his already too big ego. I pulled the quilt up to my knees.

"What are we viewing Rachel?" Al asked curiously.

'A demon and a witch in the same room with some really awkward tension' is what I wanted to say but to avoid the conversation that would come after that I said, "Live Free or Die Hard."

"An action movie, no doubt." Al stated knowingly. I kept my face neutral, trying excruciatingly hard not to think of killing Nick for blabbing all my interests.

"Interesting title. That is truly difficult decision to make. I'm not sure which I would prefer. Living free always has its appeal but dying hard…. now that is rare to come by. You would have to have quite an amazing time to die hard."

I didn't understand what he was saying until something clicked. 'Die hard' could have another meaning then the one in the movie. Al just ruined one of my favorite action films for me because of his lewd mind. At least he accomplished something tonight.

I tried to ignore him and hit the 'play' button on the remote. When it got to the part where John McClane's daughter was making out with some guy in a car and John comes to get her out I saw Al lift a brow as if silently asking 'want to do what they're doing in the movie?'

I just stared straight at the screen, trying to block him out.

As I was beginning to learn, Al was a movie talker.

"Bloody hell! How could a little human go through all that with barely a scratch?"

"It's a movie, the impossible is possible," informed him. What I really wanted to say was 'shut the hell up and watch the damn movie'.

Al huffed, "Well they should at least make an effort to be believable."

I really wanted to hit him. 'Keep watching the screen Rachel' I told myself repeatedly.

I reached into the bowl and felt Al's hand. I looked down and saw that he was grabbing a big handful.

"Hey! You already had my brownies. You are not getting my popcorn to!" I yelled.

He stuffed the popcorn in his mouth and said dryly, "The evidence says otherwise."

I looked at him questionably.

A loud pop sound filled the air and my bowl of popcorn disappeared and reappeared in Al's hands.

"Is there anything you don't just take whenever you want it?" I asked, extremely frustrated.

He stopped eating and looked me up and down and said, "Unfortunately, yes."

Another great move Rachel, I berated myself.

After that it was eerily silent. That never happens with Al around. We came to my favorite fight scene where John fights Thomas Gabriel's girlfriend. I love it when the car rams into her and she heads straight down the elevator.

Al must have moved closer when I was distracted with my favorite scene because he leaned down and kissed me. I don't know if it was the rush of adrenaline I felt over the scene or if a just wanted to taste some of my brownies, but damn it, I kissed him back.

Fueled by the explosions in the movie we continued to make out until I heard I collected gasp frombehind me. I sprang up and my cheeks flushed. Al smirked and said, "Until next time Rachel" and left in a sheet of ever-after.

In the doorway stood a fuming pixy, an infuriated vamp, and a….oh shit, a pissed-off businessman. What the hell is Trent doing here?

"Hey, guys." I said lamely.

"What the hell were you doing you fluffy headed witch!" Jenks screamed.

"Watching an action movie, what else?"

"You weren't _watching_ action. You were _having _some action by the looks of it."

Ivy just stood very still, almost like a statue and said blankly, "Trent is here to tell you something about a run. I am going out."

I didn't ask her why she was going out when she just got back. I upset her so much that she is going to get blood somewhere.

Trent stared at me for a long moment and then looked down at my chest. I was shocked for a moment that he was checking me out until his face turned disgusted and said, "I know you made some bad choices in partners in the past Rachel, but I'm glad to know that you're with your own kind now." He said irately.

He left after that. What the hell was that? I stared down at my shirt and I was contemplating whether to burn the demon into fiery ash or have Ivy cut him with her sword, one slash at a time when I read: "Al is the Only Action I'll Ever Watch"

AN:

Sorry guys, I wasn't sure if mentioning Bruce W. was against the rules or not so I changed the part so I don't mention him.


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own anything! Kim Harrison owns everything from the Hollows series.

Ever since the movie incident Ivy has been giving me the cold shoulder and would barely glance at me. Jenks keeps giving me death glares and telling me I need to get my head examined. He practically gives me another lecture every time I enter a room. Hell, even the cat looks disapproving every time I look at it.

The worst part of it is, despite being caught with Al, is that I'm not sure if it was a mistake. Scratch that, practically everything I do is a mistake. What I meant was that if it was a mistake I could overlook or…take it further. That thought scares the crap out of me. I have to remind myself that _he's a freaking demon. _What I'm afraid of is that thought won't stop me sooner or later; by the way things are going, probably sooner. I have already disappointed my friends with the movie incident a couple weeks ago I don't need to do anything even more stupid, with the demon that is. Yeah, I'm seriously in deep shit.

To put the cherry on top of my crap sundae Trent had to witness my moment of weakness with Al. I am still expecting to wake up with a knife at my throat with the way he reacted to seeing me with the demon. I remember his face. He was so shocked his defenses were down and I saw every emotion that flashed on his face. Shock, betrayal, anger, and I swear I could've seen…..regret in his eyes. Why would he have felt regret? That didn't really make sense to me.

Yes, that incident caused everyone to feel something different about me, especially the demon who was involved in said incident.

I sighed.

Yes, the demon has been extremely weird. The past two lessons he seemed, if I didn't know any better, happy. Al, the demon who terrorizes, destroys anything he can get his hands on, the one who is the bitterest, sadistic, and loneliest creature I have ever known, is happy. And the most unbelievable part of that is that I may be the cause of it. No, the most unbelievable part is that, somehow, he makes me happy to. Ugh. Great, another contestant for the 'Rachel's Best Choices in Men' contest. Let's see if he has what it takes. Is he powerful? Check. Is he dangerous? Double check. Is he attractive? More then I want to say. Ding! Ding! Ding! Folks, we have a winner!

I sighed again, louder.

I really need to get a new taste in men. One who owns a charm shop, as Jenks would say. And yet, as I thought that, I knew it just wouldn't work. Let's face it: I like playing with fire, no matter how many times I may get burned. And Al has the biggest flame I have ever seen, a supernova really. I wonder what else is big…..

I shook my head, trying desperately to get away from that thought and what places it would lead me. Maybe I do need to get my head examined because something' s seriously wrong with you when you picture dating a demon, and a presumptuous, arrogant, conceited, over-bearing, controlling one at that.

I laughed hysterically when I remember Brooke calling me demon sexpot. Where my thoughts are headed lately that wouldn't be too far from the truth. And I thought Ivy had problems with Piscary.

I need to do something to distract myself from Al, which, admittedly, is getting harder and harder to do each day.

So I got off my witch butt and went to the kitchen. You know how people do something to get away from their problems? Like bike riding, skiing, shopping, or in Ivy's case, drinking blood. Well, mine is something housewives in America have been doing since hairspray has been known to the world, excessive baking. I'm not turning my legs to jell-o like you do in bike riding, or risking braking something like I would skiing. I wouldn't be in up to my eyebrows in debt like I would shopping, and I wouldn't look like a freak if someone saw a witch drinking blood. No, I just add an extreme amount of sugar to food that could maybe cause diabetes. No harm in that, well much.

I got all my baking implements and got to work. I feel like doing something big, like a three-layer chocolate cake with just a hint of cherry filling surrounding it. It's a lot of work, but it'll be worth it. Maybe I can even make it a peace offering and give it to Ivy and Jenks. They're both suckers for my cooking. And with the amount of sugar that's going to be in this thing it will be enough to get Jenks jumping up and down for weeks. That's what I love about making home-made sweets, they're no boundaries. Stores sell cakes that have a limit of sugar so it won't be a major danger to your health, while if you make your own you could add as much sugar to make your mouth turn inside out and the health department can't do shit to stop you.

I put my masterpiece into the oven and did the worst part about baking, waited.

I put on some music to pass the time. It wasn't Takada, thank the Turn. Ever since I found out he's my _father_ I couldn't listen to his songs. Every single song is somehow connected to my mom and Robbie and me. It gets tiring listening to him sing about regret when he should've been with my mom instead of moping.

I heard the oven beep and I put on the oven mittens Ivy got me that had wands on them and said "My Hands Create Magic' and pulled out my chocolate monster.

It was everything I thought it would be. It was decked in chocolate and cherry filling around the edges. Perfect. I put the mittens away and got a fork to take a bite. I had to repress a moan. Damn. The 1950's housewives have nothing on this concoction in front of me. If this doesn't get them to start talking to me again I don't know what will.

Then, suddenly, I hear a pop sound. Either a Rice Krispies commercial is on or the demon of my problems has just arrived. I groaned. No way in hell is he here. Why does the world do this to me?

"I smell something sweet," came in Al's British accent from the doorway.

"I'm glad to hear your nose is working," I said dryly.

"My nose isn't the only body part that is fully functional, itchy-witch."

Without my volition I blushed. Damn, only he can do that to me so many times.

"Do you have, like, a chocolate detector or something? You come every time I'm making sweets," I informed him.

I blinked and he stood in from of me. He smiled, leaned down and whispered in my ear, "That is not the only time I come."

If I wasn't red already then now I sure was.

Before I could scream 'get the hell away from me' he was five feet in front of me with an annoying smirk spread across his face. How I wish I could smack that smirk right off and kick him where it hurts.

"Why the hell are you here?" I asked him, trying to hide my unease of his presence.

"Have you forgotten? What you make belongs to me," he said and took his finger and ran it across the cake. He licked it, long and slowly, while looking at me. I tried not to shiver.

He made a sound in his throat that I wouldn't like repeated any time while I'm alone with him. "Rachel, you get better every time, and not just in baking either."

With that, he left with the cake. I stood, seething. First the brownies, now this! What is with him and chocolate? He's worst then Jenks with his honey. All that hard work and I only got a bite out of it.

"I hope you choke on it Al!" I yelled to no one, but I could have sworn I heard some laughter that followed.

AN:

I am really sorry for not updating in a while. I could think of many reasons why I didn't sooner but the main being was, I was being lazy. Yes, I know I am a horrible person to make you wait. You guys are awesome to even put up with me.

I did this chapter because I felt Rachel needed to reflect a little and realize that she is interested in Al, like it or not. As to not completely leave out Al in this chapter I just had to put him at the end. Please review and tell me what you think! And please, we need more Ral or Trench! There are too many Ravy out there.

To not be an ungrateful bitch I wanted to thank all my reviewers, (I hope I didn't miss anyone)

- ThoughtCriminal

-Fannie

-Kirk Baldridge

-LJA

-abaker9

-EveningAlchemist

-T.M Pendragon

-celtic-demon13

-McCora

-Patricia

-.

-Rhiannon Thanatos

-eltigre221

And a special thanks to Aldi for reviewing all my stories!

You guys rock! You help make me write faster and make me think that I'm not wasting my time!


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own anything! The Hollows series and characters all belong to the almighty Kim Harrison.

After Al stole the best cake I have ever made I decided to make cookies to make up for the loss, and just to make sure nothing would happen I made sugar cookies instead of chocolate chip. Look at me, I can't even make chocolate in my own home without fear of Al taking them. And I thought demons only snatched people.

He causes more problems for me every day. He's like a little kid, always getting what he wants. Actually, that behavior isn't that far away from Trent's. I guess men with power always take whatever they want. Speaking of Trent I haven't heard anything from him since he caught me with Al. He's either ignoring me or planning to kill me. I would really prefer the former.

I took a bite of my sugar cookie and wondered what I'm going to do for the day. Maybe I'll just cruise around in my car for a while, feel the wind in my face.

I hear a knock at the door and I jumped up. I hope it's a client! I really need to get out and do something.

I froze at the doorknob when I thought that it could be Al. I shook my head at that thought. Surely the demon had a life that didn't revolve around me.

I turned the knob and opened the door to see that Ceri was there in all her pregnant glory. Some woman can't pull off being pregnant. They look like a planet or having a pillow around your waist. Personally, I always thought they looked ridiculous. I know child birth is supposed to be a beautiful and cherished thing, but if I wanted to look like I had too much at Thanksgiving dinner I would buy ten pounds of ice cream.

Ceri though, she looked like the Virgin Mary. She looked radiant. Her hand resting on her stomach, head held high. She looked so proud to be carrying life. I shouldn't be surprised. Ceri could make wearing rags like it was the next big fashion trend.

She smiled sweetly and said, "Hello, Rachel."

I couldn't help but smile back and reply, "Hey Ceri. Want to come in?"

She nodded and walked through the door and went into the living room.

Now, I've seen my fair share of pregnant woman walk. They waddled, no joke. Ceri, she practically glided, waiting for people to bow to her and wait on her every need. Even pregnant, she could pull off having an air of royalty.

I handed her tea that Ivy kept around the house. I will never understand tea drinkers. It's like drinking flavored water. I know it's supposed to relax you or whatever, but the only thing it does to me is getting a bitter taste in my mouth. I'll stick to nice, unhealthy coffee, thank you very much.

I sat down on a chair across from her and said, "So what's up?"

Her lips twitched up in a smile while she continued to drink. She put the cup down and said, "To the point as always, I see."

Well, sorry for being curious and impatient.

"Well, you're due in what, a month? And you come to the church in person while you should probably be at home resting. Does Quen know you're here?"

Se blushed. "Well, sometimes he and Trenton can be a tad over-protective while I'm in this state."

I smiled and shook my head. I think I was rubbing off on her. I turned to look at her and said, "Don't worry, I won't tell. I'm on the team of pissing off Trent, remember? I think they can stand for an hour of visiting me."

"Speaking of Trenton, what did you do to him a few weeks ago? He came back looking really angry and kept muttering 'stupid demon'.

I swallowed and tried to come up with anything but the truth. "You know Trent, always over-reacting. I could list a number of things that I could have done for him to be saying that." That wasn't entirely a lie.

Ceri was smart though and her eyes narrowed. I tried to change the subject. "You're having a girl, right?"

I guess she decided to let me off the hook when she said, "Yes, and according to Trenton the percent of she being healthy is quite good."

"I'm really happy for you Ceri." And I was. She deserved this after living in hell the past millennia.

She smiled brightly at me. "Thank you Rachel, as am I." She paused, and I could tell that what she said next was why she came to visit.

"Rachel, I have a request to make for you," she said seriously.

"Okay, what is it?"

"I will be having a baby shower next week and I would be honored if you came."

"Of course Ceri, I would be glad to come. How many people are going to be there?"

"It's a small gathering, with our closest friends. Some of Trenton's staff will be there, as well as Ivy and Jenks."

She looked hesitant for a moment but then said, "Rachel, there is one other I want to come."

I have a bad feeling. Her tone said I probably won't approve.

I made a motion for her to continue. She took a breath and said, "Al."

I froze. She did not just say what I think she did. Everything was quiet. I couldn't even hear any of Jenks's kids flying around.

Finally I stood up and practically yelled, "Are you crazy? You know you're not supposed to do drugs while you're pregnant, right? What in the Turn are you thinking?"

She sighed and waited for me to finish my hysterics. She knew I was going to react like this.

"Rachel, sit down. Let me explain."

I sat back down and stared at her, waiting for a crazy explanation that will never come close to me accepting Al at her baby shower.

"Rachel, he tortured me for 1,000 years. I had nothing. I was his possession. I had no feelings, no life. I was an empty shell."

I nodded. She just supported that this idea is crazy.

"But Rachel, I am whole now, thanks to Quen. I am having a child, something Al said I would never have. I want him to see that. I want him to see that I overcame all that he did to me and that I'm better than I ever was before, that I have accomplished happiness." Her eyes were pleading for me to understand.

I did understand. When I was younger and the doctors said I was going to no doubt die, I almost gave up. When I started to get better and have some strength I went around the hospital doing odd jobs, showing the doctors that I was alive and nothing they could say could change that.

So basically she wants to rub Al's face in that he couldn't take away everything from her. It's a show of pride. But damn it, I just can't do it! Al at her baby shower would be disastrous! I can just see Trent now, getting the National Guard with flame throwers to attend the small gathering.

"Ceri, I'm sorry but I can't-"

"Why Ceri, I would be delighted to come. Will there be cake?"

Ceri and I both turned to see Al leaning on the doorway, sugar cookie in hand.

Instead of saying 'how in the hell are you here?' I asked a more stupid question.

"Can you stop stealing whatever I make? Or I'll just report that there is a demon stealing baked goods." After I said it I wanted to pound my head against the wall.

He looked amused when he said, "Are you pressing charges, Rachel? On baked goods?"

Maybe I need to hit my head with something stronger, like maybe a wrecking ball.

Before this humiliating conversation could continue Ceri stepped in and said, "The baby shower is next week. You will not harm anyone there."

Al nodded his head and said, "Right, right. No one shall be harmed by me at your little party. I can't wait to see Trenton again."

Oh _shit._

Trent is going to have a seizure.

Al turned to me and said, "Make some more chocolate, would you? Plain sugar is nice, but it doesn't quite have the flair of chocolate."

"Or you could just stop eating whatever I make without my permission."

He just gave me that devious smirk and disappeared in a cloud of ever-after.

Ceri turned to me and asked, "What is happening to you and Al?"

"He just likes to steal whatever I make, since he can't physically harm me as much anymore this is what he resorts to," I said even though I knew it was more than that.

She shook her head. "I don't think that's all," she said as she pointed at my shirt.

I looked down, dreading what I would find.

It read: "Me and Al Make Babies in a Shower"

AN:

There you go. The next chapter will be the baby shower, I think. I hoped you liked the shirt at the end. When I was 14 and a teacher of mine was having a baby shower my friend was like "you made the baby in the shower?" We all laughed. So every time I think of baby shower I think of that. I read the reviews today and I just felt motivated to write another chapter. I'm so glad you guys are enjoying the story. Please review and tell me what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own anything. The Hollows world and its characters belong to the magnificent Kim Harrison.

Today's the day, Friday. Ceri didn't want to have the baby shower on a Saturday because she thought Al wouldn't let me go. So now I have to deal with his presence today and tomorrow. Someone please shoot me.

I still can't believe that Ceri is actually going to bring him. I am trusting Ceri that she knows what she is doing since she knows Al better than anyone. If she thinks Al will be on his best behavior then fine, though I highly doubt it.

The worst part is that Trent is going to be there. The last time I saw him he caught me with Al. His face looked so disgusted and betrayed. I should be counting my lucky stars that he hasn't tried to kill me yet.

I slither of fear went down my spine as I thought of Trent killing me at the baby shower. A poisoned glass of wine would do the trick and he does have lots of practice at making a body disappear.

I shook my head. He wouldn't. Ceri would kill him if anything happened to me, especially at her party. No, Trent will find another way without any traces to him whatsoever.

Ceri said that the party will require formal wear. It'll be more like a ball then a baby shower. I had Ivy help me out with what I should wear. It took many arguments, angry looks, and a hell of a lot of patience to finally decide on the dress I would wear. Preferably, I would have liked to wear the little black dress with the low neckline and slit up the thigh, but as Jenks said, "That dress is for the entertainers, Rache, and I don't mean the musicians." Stupid pixy.

At least they have forgiven me with the movie incident. They understand that I know it was a mistake and that it will never happen again. At least I hope it will never happen again.

I looked in the mirror to look at myself in my dress. It really isn't fair that everyone can dress me to make me look fantastic and every time I try to dress myself I look like I should be working a street corner late at night.

Ivy was right when she said this dress would make me look great. I was skeptical at first but I'm seeing the results and it looks stunning. It was the right shade of red that matched my hair perfectly. It also had little green vines growing at the side of my dress to accent my green eyes well.

I turned around at hearing the knock at my door.

"Come in."

The door opened to reveal Ivy. "Are you ready yet, Rachel?" Ivy asked.

She was wearing a classic vampire black dress. It flowed down to her ankles, making her look even more elegant than usual.

"Just about, all I need to do is put my splat gun in my purse." I am not going to the Kalamack estate unarmed. No way in hell.

"You could go now with Jenks. I still need to wait for Al." I did not want them to be here when Al gets here. Seeing me and him together again will just remind them of the last time they saw us together. That will not be the best way to start out the evening.

She hesitated then said, "I don't want him to be alone with you, he might just take you to the ever-after instead of to the party."

"Nope. Al can't resist a good party. This is going to be his version of an amusement park. So go with Jenks and I'll meet you there." I reassured her.

She still had a concerned look on her face so I looked in her eyes and said firmly, "I'll be there."

She finally nodded in acceptance and closed the door.

I sighed. This is going to come and bite me on the ass. I just know it.

My hair is actually being cooperative today. I had it up in a bun at with a few strands loose. I looked like royalty. Seeing myself ready, I came out of my room and made my way to the kitchen to put the chocolate cookies I made a half an hour ago away. I made them out of stress of the party today. I kept waiting to see if Al would show up to snatch them, but luckily he never came.

Until now.

I walked into the kitchen to see a demon licking his fingers and having a face that looked all too satisfied. He had on his trademark frock coat complete with smoked glasses and white gloves.

I am shocked that I didn't even notice that he was here. I usually know when he decides to pop in. I really hope I am not getting used to him being here.

When he saw me he smiled broadly and said, "Ah, Rachel, you look positively ravishing, almost good enough to eat."

I pointed to the empty tray and said, "You mean like the cookies that used to be there?"

He shook his head, "No you taste more like candy, sweet and sour at the same time."

I wanted to smack him so hard he would see nothing but stars for the next decade.

"Al, you taking my sweets was funny the first or maybe even the second time but this is getting ridiculous."

His red eyes went a little darker and he replied, "I was under the impression that you enjoyed it when I took your sweets. In fact, I thought you wanted me to take more."

I blinked when he somehow gotten right in front of me, too close for my taste. "Uh, I was talking about the cookies and cakes," I said nervously. He was too close and he was making it hard for me to think clearly.

He stepped back with a knowing look and I discovered that I was breathing heavily. I tried to bring back my normal breathing pattern with some effort.

"As was I," he said lightly. But his eyes told another story that I didn't want to read into. I looked up at the clock and I realized that we were going to be late.

"Crap on toast. We are going to be late for the shower. Ceri's going to kill me."

Al beamed. "Not if we take something that has no traffic."

I didn't get it for a couple seconds then it clicked. "You want to use a ley line." I may be in the dog house with Trent right now but I have no qualms about annoying him. And it would annoy the hell out of him if we arrived at the party through his ley line.

I smiled, "That may be the best thing you have ever suggested Al."

He huffed, "Then I need to work a little harder then."

He extended his arm to me like a gentleman and I took it.

In a blink of an eye we were in Trent's office. I had half a mind to steal something just to spite him. Any minute now someone is going to notice that we're here and this time, I'll be ready.

Quen came bursting through the door, Tent at his heels. When Trent saw me his face twisted, but then he saw Al and his face paled. I guess Ceri didn't tell him that Al was invited.

I smiled grandly and said, "Hey Trent, you know how I love to make a big entrance."

AN:

There. I know I said this would be the baby shower chapter but then it would take longer to post up. So I wrote this to keep you guys occupied for a while. I hope you liked it and I hope you review and tell me what you think!


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